Dear readers, Audra wants to go to Paris, but Tucker is ditching her again to grovel to Devon, trying to win Devon's love. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think Devon is kind of a jerk. Tucker is much nicer than everyone assumes, and Devon is much meaner. For example...
Devon: "Hey Dad, I need you to do me a favor, but don't think that means I am going to be nice to you or let you see your grandkid, because I love being controlling and making you beg for a minute of my time. I get off on watching you squirm."
Tucker: "Of course, I will happily do you a favor. Maybe then I can prove to you that I have changed. May I please watch my grandkid sing his kindergarten songs?"
Devon: "No. I'll never trust you again. But about that favor..."
It just bugs me. Tucker is the punching bag to Devon, Abby, the entire Abbott family, and basically anyone but Audra, but now he's angered her, too. I don't think Tucker has done anything worse than Victor, Adam, Jack, Kyle, Nate, or any other man in the Genoa City business world. They have all done shady things, taken over companies, and engaged in dirty wheeling and dealing, so why is Tucker so much worse? Stop.
Devon put Abby on the board and expected she would automatically vote with him against her Uncle Billy. But she was angry about being blindsided by him and voted with Jill. Huzzah. Go, Abby. But to what end? Instead of running the company and trying to work together, the Winters faction of the company is focused on getting rid of Billy. Lily is far fairer minded than Devon, but she is angry that Jill blindsided them by giving Billy her power in the company.
Lily is beginning to soften toward Daniel. She was considering a compromise where Daniel would get profit sharing or rights to one of his games without the company losing too much. That's fair. But I think since Phyllis blabbed to Tucker about Billy being away, Lily may reconsider her stance. I like that they are writing Lily as strong but still soulful. She reacted in anger, as anyone who was cheated on would, but now she is trying to find a reasonable and fair solution.
I want a real love interest for Lily. Like Lily, I really thought it would be Daniel. I loved that the two high school sweethearts reconnected. Like Lily, I was blindsided when Heather showed up in town after vehemently ditching Daniel and wanting nothing to do with him.
If Daniel doesn't get his game back and spirals into depression again, Heather will probably pack up and move Lucy somewhere far away again. I guess I still hope that somewhere down the road, Lily and Daniel are endgame, but I am probably wishing for something that will never happen. Daniel was also blindsided when Abby voted in favor of the arbitration. Daniel explained to Phyllis how Abby's decision rocked him.
Phyllis reminded Daniel that Abby was raised by Victor and Ashley, who taught her that the family business always comes first before anything and anyone. She's not wrong. But I think Abby is starting to resent everyone assuming what she will do and think and vote, and she may be about to break free and become a dangerously independent woman that cannot be controlled. I am ready to hear her roar. But first, I just want someone to tell her that her mother is very unwell! I am still flabbergasted that no one thought to bring Ashley's only child into the loop.
Daniel's mother is afloat right now, since Danny and the Bug went on tour. Phyllis can't even listen to Danny's music anymore. Maybe it's just bad music. Who knows? Phyllis needs a new love interest pronto. I swear, if the Bug came back to town and saw Phyllis was happily involved with another man, Cricket might dump Danny to go after him. Everyone thinks Phyllis is the only problem, but Christine gives as good as she gets.
Readers, please don't hate me, but every time I see Phyllis and Tucker in scenes together, I think, "Too bad they hate each other, because they kind of go together." At present, Tucker can't side with Phyllis over Daniel because he's trying to woo Devon, but I just think Michelle Stafford and Trevor St. John have a spark.
As for Tucker's un-fiancée Audra, I hope she does what she threatened. Go to Paris with Nate, take Tucker's job at Glissade, and start some hot fling with Nate. Nate ditches his family company again and goes back to being the shark we know he wants to be. Then Audra can hire Sally and Chloe, and we can stop watching them in scenes talking about how to make their failing business take off. It's really all they have done for a year. I don't even think they ever had an actual job because when someone finally hired them, Victor tanked it. Better yet, Audra should take Sally as her plus one to Paris, and they can start a fashion line together. Audra can be the brains, and Sally can be the talent. See, I fixed it.
The Abbott household is filled with chaos right now, too. Alan, Ashely's shrink friend, has canceled his trip and decided to stay in town to flirt with Ashley's alters. I bet it's great for his ego. But then, there's the mean one who rejects him, and I think he likes that, too. Just kidding. He informed Traci about Ashley's multiple alternate personalities, and hopefully Alan can treat Ashley and get her back into one personality so she and Tucker can reunite.
The thing is I still don't understand what big trauma caused her to break. It wasn't the fight with Tucker that didn't happen, so...what? What huge event splintered her into all these crazy pieces? And why hasn't anyone mentioned the southern accent?? If someone in your family suddenly started talking like Scarlett O'Hara, wouldn't you openly mock them? "Hey what's up with the Southern drawl, Sis?" While in my last column, I advocated for letting this go on longer, I think I'm done now. Start wrapping it up and get to wherever it is you are going.
I have a couple of questions... Where is Chance? He and Summer are still a thing, right? If so, where is he, and why has he left Summer spiraling out there all alone? Why isn't he at work, helping Billy or Nate or bringing some sense of calm in the Chancellor-Winters office? Did Chance go on the multi-office tour with Billy, and they just forgot to mention it? Curious.
In like manner, where is Sharon? Are the writers leaving her parked somewhere until they figure out which career they are going to focus on? I heard a rumor that Linden Ashby might be back to Y&R, playing a long-lost twin of Cameron Kirsten coming to fight Sharon for control of his company, but I have heard no credible news source report that, so I think it's just wishful thinking. Sharon has been a central figure on Y&R for years, but lately, she has been relegated to the background. I am not sure why. She does mental health consultations, sometimes pours coffee, and makes plans for a business that has seemingly never taken off. I miss her face.
Sharon's ex Adam is too preoccupied to go in search of her, as Connor's condition seems to be worsening. My dear readers, I am getting this sick feeling about where this storyline is heading. Connor has two adoring parents who are doing everything they can to help him, he's at a live-in facility that specializes in OCD management, and yet, he gets worse and worse. Now that Connor is self-harming, are we heading toward a suicide storyline? I hope not, but that is my dark fear.
It's been a long time since we got any good news about Connor, and I worry that his fight for mental health won't end well. I know that so many families face this heartbreak, but I hope that his storyline has a happier ending. Y&R has done such a lovely job navigating the mental health of a child, including end-of-show PSAs about getting help, and I want the storyline to have an ending that gives people hope that their child can overcome and manage any mental health issues they face.
Adam and Chelsea discussed how they are dumping all their big emotions about their son onto their partners and proposed that they try to lean on one another more. But that's the thing -- when someone you love is sick physically or mentally, it's all consuming. Billy and Sally have both been fantastic supports for Chelsea and Adam, but if Connor's treatment wears on, how long will they be patient? That is the fear that Adam and Chelsea are struggling with. I can see Sally gravitating back to Nick, or Billy getting close to Lily again. Lily just had a child in crisis, so she would be a sympathetic listener. Do you think Billy and Chelsea, and Adam and Sally can make it through this crisis with Connor with their relationships intact?
In the Newman household, Victor made his daily trek to taunt Jordan. As soon as Claire mentioned that Jordan hated Brussel sprouts, and Victor got that gleam in his eye, I knew it wouldn't be too long until he put a steaming bowl down in front of her. I didn't expect him to chew one up and spit it at her, however. That was hilarious. But Cole is onto Victor and knows he is up to something.
Did Victor just leave the secret door ajar? Doesn't he remember how adept Jordan is at escape? Will Cole find Jordan and let her out? I am anxious to see what happens on Monday. With Nikki back from rehab and looking very perky, I fear for her sobriety if she is the one to stumble on the unhappy secret of a very alive Jordan in her basement.
Kyle ran into Claire at Crimson Lights and again made a point of spending time with her. I think those two have chemistry, and they're fun to watch together. I am in. Summer called to have Kyle come home when Harrison had a nightmare. Right in the middle of a debate between Kyle and Summer over having Claire be their new nanny, Kyle just announced in front of Harrison that Claire would be his new nanny. Harrison jumped for joy, but Summer looked shellshocked. Kyle didn't take her opinion into account at all and just overrode her decision.
I'm torn here. I understand why Summer would not be willing to trust Claire with her kid. I also understand Kyle thinking Claire's presence might help Harrison. There are no bad guys here, just two parents who love their child and are at odds over how best to do that. I think next week may be the time we find out the answer to whether Summer has legal rights to Harrison, because my bet is she will talk to Michael about any legal recourse she may have to stop this.
At Crimson Lights, Nick talked Phyllis down from unleashing a virus on Chancellor-Winters, so perhaps Summer will enlist Phyllis' computer skills to spy on Claire instead. They could rig up the ranch with nanny cams and have an eye on her all day until she proves herself. I do not think Claire is evil; in fact, I like Claire, and I like Victoria and Cole as her parents. But that doesn't mean I am convinced that she is totally free of the trauma she endured her entire life.
Back to Nick and Phyllis. Is there something there? They have had quite a few scenes together lately and no other love interests on the horizon, so it makes me wonder if the writers decided to send Nick back to Phyllis instead of Sharon. I liked their dynamic when they were first together -- video game nerds playing together and laughing. It was so genuine, and they behaved like a real couple. But the truth is I adore Michelle Stafford, and I like her with almost anyone. In fact, I wish I could have her back on General Hospital as Nina about ten times a week.
What will happen tomorrow, dear readers? Will Nikki get out of rehab, sneak down to the wine cellar looking for hooch, and find Jordan locked in the wine dungeon? Will Aunt Mamie track down Jill and have an old-school soap lady hair-pulling catfight, just for old times' sake? Will Cricket get dropped while crowd surfing and come back to Genoa City with a neck brace while Phyllis taunts her? Will Victor make a Brussels sprout cake for Jordan's birthday? Will Sally and Chloe ever actually have a successful business or just talk about it until they are both bankrupt? Will Jordan get free and start a new diet craze called the Vodka and Brussel Sprout Cleanse?
Only tomorrow knows, dear readers, and I will tune in tomorrow as long as there are tomorrows.
Tamilu
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